France and Germany back Ukraine ceasefire agreement

Ukraine – Support for the ceasefire – Joint communiqué issued by M. François Hollande, President of the Republic, and Mrs Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany

Paris, 1 September 2016

The French President and Chancellor Merkel express their full support for the agreement secured within the Trilateral Contact Group on a ceasefire, which must be implemented in all the areas affected by the conflict at the start of the new school year. They emphasize that this must signal the beginning of a lasting ceasefire.

France and Germany express their grave concern about the security situation in eastern Ukraine and particularly along the contact line. They reaffirm their determination to continue all their efforts in the framework of the Normandy format in order to fully implement the Minsk agreements.

France and Germany also reaffirm their unfailing commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity./.